Few modern actors fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star as much as Brad Pitt. Any film becomes so much more interesting and exciting with an actor of Pitt's magnitude in the cast. While he is certainly one of the most popular actors around, Pitt has proven his willingness to take chances and gives stellar performances in a variety of great films.
Despite being one of the biggest stars in the business, Pitt has always seemed to be more interested in playing unique characters rather than being in the biggest movies. His career is filled with funny, charming, odd and compelling characters that won't soon be forgotten. Take a look back at his amazing career with some of Brad Pitt's most memorable roles.
True Romance
True Romance was the first script Quentin Tarantino sold in his career. Although the film was not directed by Tarantino himself, it certainly has the energy, fun and violence of his very best work. Although there are some great performances from the star-studded cast, Brad Pitt's small cameo as Floyd just about steals the show.
Floyd is an acquaintance of the young lovers, Clarence and Alabama, who provides some of the film's biggest laughs. Never leaving the couch, Floyd seems completely oblivious to the wild and violent events going on around them -- even when he is inadvertently responsible for them.
Troy
The story of Trojan War is a classic epic which has been told multiple times on just about every medium. This 2004 adventure film loses much of the mythological aspects and focus on the more grounded battle sequences. At the center of the story is Pitt's Achilles, the world's most feared warrior who reluctantly fights against the forces of Troy.
Audiences rarely see Pitt in such a big-budget epic, and he proves to be an effective action star. He handles himself very well in the movie's stellar fight sequences and he seems to be having a lot of fun with his larger-than-life role.
Moneyball
A movie about baseball and statistics might not seem like the most entertaining movie of all time, but Moneyball takes that subject matter and makes a crowd-pleasing true life tale. The movie tells the story of Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics Major League team, and their game-changing 2002 season.
Even those who are not fans of baseball can find a lot to like about this film, especially Pitt's winning performance as Beane. He is a man of intense dedication and vision, who is completely willing to go against the grain when he discovers a new way of playing the game.
Thelma & Louise
Pitt had been a steady working actor since mid-80s, but his big break came in this 1991 hit film. Thelma & Louise follows the two titular female friends who, after killing a man in self defense, are forced to go on the run from the law.
While Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are the stars of the show, Pitt stole more than a few scenes as the charming thief J.D, who briefly joins the women on their journey. Pitt instantly became a sex symbol with his role, a label he has manage to maintain and work around for his entire career that followed.
12 Monkeys
Even after been dubbed a sex symbol and the perfect leading man, Pitt was never afraid to take on daring and unexpected roles. Just as he was becoming one of Hollywood's biggest stars, he took a very strange and fantastic role in Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Bruce Willis stars as a convict sent back in time to find out what happened to end civilization.
Pitt has a supporting role as a character who may be responsible for the deadly virus that brought the world to an end. Pitt looks completely different in this funny and disturbing performance, which is unlike anything he's done before. Or since.
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven is a film that uses Pitt's movie star status to great effect. A remake of the Rat Pack film, it is a heist romp about a group of sophisticated thieves who design an elaborate plan to steal from three casinos in the same night. It is a fun and clever film with an all-star cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.
Pitt plays Rusty, the smooth operator of the group. He plays the suave, ultra-cool con man with effortless charm. He and the rest of the cast are obviously having a great time with the film and it's infectious.
Se7en
Brad Pitt's very successful professional relationship with David Fincher kicked off with this dark and brutal thriller. It is the story of two detectives on the trail of a serial killer who dispatches his victims based of the Seven Deadly Sins. The gruesome set up changes the film from a standard police procedural to an experience you won't soon get out of your head.
Pitt plays the young naive detective opposite Morgan Freeman's more experienced cop. He plays the arrogant man with a sense of sincerity that ultimately makes him sympathetic, as you follow him down this dark and violence rabbit hole.
Snatch
Guy Ritchie is now known for big budget adventures, but there was a time that he focused more on small British crime films. His second feature was certainly one of these, and gained a lot of attention for managing to secure one of Hollywood's biggest names. The film is a saga of intertwined stories, following a number of unsavory criminals with a rare diamond at the center of it all.
Pitt has a supporting role as an Irish boxer who is utterly incomprehensible. Pitt might not be the star of the show, but he steals every scene he appears in. It's one of his most entertaining performances.
Inglourious Basterds
Pitt's first proper collaboration with Quentin Tarantino came with Inglorious Basterds. Pitt stars as Aldo Raine, the commander of a small band of American guerrilla fighters whose brutal tactics against their enemies are notorious.
Pitt is once again having a blast with his role. While Raine and his squad are set up to be the heroes of the tale, it's quickly discovered that they are not the brightest bunch of soldiers around. Pitt is hilarious, with his ridiculous accent and glorious Tarantino monologues.
Fight Club
Fight Club is one of the most unique and compelling movies of the 1990s. This second collaboration between Pitt and Fincher is the story of a man living a mundane life until he meets a new, radical thinking friend named Tyler Durden. Together, these two men begin a club where grown men fight each other, which gradually grows in to something more frightening.
Pitt is utterly dynamic as Durden, a now-iconic film character. He is enticing, funny, badass and frightening in one scene after another. He never shies away from the darker aspects of the role, fully embracing the movie and everything it's trying to do.